posted at 1:01 pm on December 12, 2013 by Allahpundit

Confession: I did not expect that this lame budget deal would be Boehner’s red line for tea-party criticism. But maybe it had to be that way. If he’d slammed them in October, when Cruz and Lee had galvanized the base against the bete noire of O-Care, it might have cost him his gavel. The stakes are lower now — he proved he was willing to shut down the government for a conservative cause, everyone understands that any budget deal with Democrats will vary only in shades of badness, and enough people have tuned out of the news in December that there won’t be any grand revolt against him. If he wants to throw down the gauntlet to groups like the Club for Growth and FreedomWorks, now’s as good a time as any. And who knows? Maybe he legitimately feels it’s “ridiculous” for conservative PACs to shriek over a compromise when the stakes are as small as they are here. Take it from me: Even a RINO has his breaking point, my friends. Our candy-asses can stand kicking only so many times.

Is this smart, though?

Staffers for people who backed the plan are NOT happy about Boehner's comments.

The more antagonistic he gets with outfits like Heritage Action, the greater the risk that they’ll elevate this vote into a litmus test and the greater the pressure there’ll be on Republican fencesitters in the House to vote no. Then again, the vote’s only four or five hours away. This was the point of jamming the bill through this week — the quicker you move, the less time conservative PACs have to build opposition. Members want to go home for Christmas. They’ll risk some short-term grassroots wrath over a vote that people almost certainly won’t remember a year from now.

Here’s video from his presser. Watch for the big “Are you kidding me?!” freakout at 1:30. Terrifying exit question:

. @lukerussert makes a good point — If Boehner's suddenly willing to tell Heritage to shove it on budget, why not immigration?

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Boehner says that he came to Washington to cut the size of government and this bill does that. In other words, Boehner has as much credibilty as the lazy shiftless idiot who tells us that if we like our doctor we can keep our doctor. Period.

It’s gotten to the point where I am seriously questioning whether Democrats are actually funding Heritage Action and FreedomWorks. Certainly they are the biggest beneficiaries of this continuing circular firing squad among conservatives.

I must have missed the national convention that declared these groups the arbiters of conservatism.

. @lukerussert makes a good point — If Boehner’s suddenly willing to tell Heritage to shove it on budget, why not immigration?

That’s exactly what this is about. It’s about terrorizing conservatives and moderates who might inclined to listen to or support them into submission ahead of amnesty.

They’ll risk some short-term grassroots wrath over a vote that people almost certainly won’t remember a year from now.

In an isolated cirumstances such as this, yes. The problem is that Boehner’s been building a big list of betrayals and the list keeps getting longer. This is going to add to the perception of him as a traitor and/or weakling (of which he is most certainly both).

Maybe he legitimately feels it’s “ridiculous” for conservative PACs to shriek over a compromise when the stakes are as small as they are here.

AP, you should not misuse the world “compromise” here. I’m not sure what the Republicans are supposed to be getting out of this exactly, unless the bar is now set so low that “not making the Democrats mad” is considered to be some sort of “gain” for our side.

I think I need to take a break from the news. It’s making my blood pressure skyrocket.

gophergirl on December 12, 2013 at 1:08 PM

I’ve avoided Rush and Fox News the last couple days for just this reason. I know that this deal is hardly bipartisan and definitely isn’t conservative. I’m not in the mood to listen to liars like Boehner and Ryan get prissy when anybody challenges their lies.

It should also be noted here, that as bad as this budget is in terms of spending, at least there will be a budget of some sort. This represents an accomplishment that has not happened since the last time the GOP held the White House and both chambers of the Legislative Branch. Just forcing some sort of budgetary constraint is, in and of itself, the tightest bit of control that has ever existed in the Obama era. Paul Ryan’s chess move has at least put a limit on the number of checks in the Obama check book.

I’ve avoided Rush and Fox News the last couple days for just this reason. I know that this deal is hardly bipartisan and definitely isn’t conservative. I’m not in the mood to listen to liars like Boehner and Ryan get prissy when anybody challenges their lies.

It’s gotten to the point where I am seriously questioning whether Democrats are actually funding Heritage Action and FreedomWorks. Certainly they are the biggest beneficiaries of this continuing circular firing squad among conservatives.

Really? So you think the Democrats are benefitting from Heritage Group criticizing tax increases, more than they do from the Republicans passing actual tax increases?

I must have missed the national convention that declared these groups the arbiters of conservatism.

rockmom on December 12, 2013 at 1:10 PM

So is it your assertion that raising taxes, increasing spending, and giving additional powers to the government to ease the levying of taxes is now conservative policy? Because if it’s not conservative policy then Heritage and Freedomworks are 100% right.

They(GOP) are seeing the implosion of the Democratic party due to Obamacare’s failure and are using this electoral weakness as an opportunity to distance themselves from the Tea Party in the public eye while also avoiding the debacle of another shutdown. I wonder how this strategy will pan out when the inevitable wave of Tea Party primaries come. Maybe the GOP thinks they are inevitable regardless and therefore should politically posture this way for maximum effect. And further, maybe they don’t really consider the Tea Party a real threat. Should be an interesting few years for both the Democrats and Republicans.

Here is the last paragraph of Ryan’s budget summary. Is this a rule that codifies same sex bennies to federal workers?

Self plus one coverage
This provision allows the Office of Personnel Management to offer a self-plus-one option in the
Federal Employees Health Benefits program. This provision saves $3 billion over ten years.

if so, how does it save any money?

I have a neighbor here in Houston that receives monthly CalPERS bennies because her grandmother designated her instead of her mother as the plus one beneficiary. They all agreed the benefit would go much further with her than her mother. I bet it happens a lot.

I must have missed the national convention that declared these groups the arbiters of conservatism.

rockmom on December 12, 2013 at 1:10 PM

Personally, I don’t need a PAC to tell me that increasing spending is not conservative. I don’t need a PAC to tell me that increasing taxes is not conservative. I don’t need a PAC to tell me that reducing the difficulty in raising further taxes is not conservative.

The House is expected to begin debate Thursday on a bipartisan budget deal reached earlier this week that would cut $23 billion from the deficit. The two-year deal, which was unveiled Tuesday evening, sets spending levels at just above $1 trillion dollars for FY2014 and FY2015. It also eliminates $63 billion in automatic sequestration cuts.

New spending increases would be offset by increasing the amount federal workers must contribute to their retirement plans. Transportation Security Administration fees would also be increased.

There has been mixed reaction to the budget deal inside and outside of Congress. House Republicans stand by the deal despite opposition from conservative groups like Club for Growth, Heritage Action and Americans for Prosperity. Meanwhile, Democrats remain non-committal until the issue of unemployment benefits is addressed.

If the House adopts the measure, it will then move to the Senate for consideration next week. Watch LIVE coverage of the House debate on C-SPAN and here on C-SPAN.org.

It’s gotten to the point where I am seriously questioning whether Democrats are actually funding Heritage Action and FreedomWorks. Certainly they are the biggest beneficiaries of this continuing circular firing squad among conservatives.

I must have missed the national convention that declared these groups the arbiters of conservatism.

rockmom on December 12, 2013 at 1:10 PM

Why would you not suspect that the RINO’s were being funded by conservatives’ adversaries? That would be more logical than them funding the more conservative elements to attack the less conservative elements. Dontcha think?

They were desperate to end the sequester cuts to their precious little social programs like housing counseling and Title I education grants. Not much money in the big scheme of things but these programs are sacred cows to the progs.

They’re also smartly shutting up and watching the Right freak out. If they don’t like this deal they aren’t going to say anything while the media focus on the circus on our side.

It’s gotten to the point where I am seriously questioning whether Democrats are actually funding Heritage Action and FreedomWorks. Certainly they are the biggest beneficiaries of this continuing circular firing squad among conservatives.

rockmom on December 12, 2013 at 1:10 PM

Well I certainly question whether or not they are funding the Republican “establishment.” Because almost everything major passes the House with more Democrat support than Republican support these days.

They were desperate to end the sequester cuts to their precious little social programs like housing counseling and Title I education grants. Not much money in the big scheme of things but these programs are sacred cows to the progs.

rockmom on December 12, 2013 at 1:23 PM

Yep. They’re desperate to raise spending and taxes. Just like the GOP leadership.

Everyone. Seriously. We have to pass spending increases. Tax increases. Amnesty. Everything that the Democrats want. So that we can keep the public’s attention on Obamacare! Because the Republican’s political position is all that matters. That is the end. It is not the means to better policy. No. Republican power is the end. Nothing else matters.

Well, as Mr. Reagan used to say, he didn’t leave the Democrat party, it left him. I think the same way about the Republican party. Or should I spell “Republican” “Whig”?

Thanks Mr. Speaker. You have saved me the trouble of rising early to be at the polls on the first Tuesday in November. When the RNC demonstrated that they would prefer a Democrat administration in Virginia rather support conservatives, they told me everything I needed to know about their party. To paraphrase Dan Rowan, say goodnight, John.

Mark this, take it to the bank – if amnesty passes, Pelosi will justifiably take the hammer from Boner, Jan. 2015. She will have earned it in full, even if by then she’ll be a skeleton witch, riding on a broom.

Boehner had better be very careful here. This deal isn’t done yet and he’s put his neck out there, not only begging for a budget deal so there’s no shutdown, but then throwing conservative organizations under the bus. Now, if Reid rolls him on this deal and wants more, what’s he going to do?

The members in the GOP leadership are enemy infiltrators behind our lines who shoot us in the back whenever we engage the enemy. And then, when we turn our attention on them, they scream, “We’re on your side! Fighting us is counterproductive!” Then you turn around to engage the enemy and they start shooting at you from behind again.

Members want to go home for Christmas. They’ll risk some short-term grassroots wrath over a vote that people almost certainly won’t remember a year from now.

That may not be a wise gamble. Remember, Bob Bennett lost his Senate seat over his vote for TARP. And that was a year and half before the GOP primary. We conservatives and Tea Partiers have a long memory.